The Department of Commerce Blog Entries for Category: Cybersecurity Task Forcehttp://www.commerce.gov/blog/category/778
The U.S. Department of Commerce has a broad mandate to advance economic growth and jobs and opportunities for the American people. It has cross cutting responsibilities in the areas of trade, technology, entrepreneurship, economic development, environmental stewardship and statistical research and analysis.
The products and services the department provides touch the lives of Americans and American companies in many ways, including weather forecasts, the decennial census, and patent and trademark protection for inventors and businesses. The development of commerce to provide new opportunities was the central goal at the department's beginning in 1903 and it remains a primary obligation today.en Protecting Our Electronic Main Streethttp://www.commerce.gov/blog/2011/06/08/protecting-our-electronic-main-street
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<a href="http://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/images/2011/june/keyboard.jpg" rel="lightbox[field_photo][Cybersecurity and the Electronic Main Street (photo credit: julian- on Flickr)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/images/2011/june/keyboard.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; id=&quot;lightbox2-download-link-text&quot;&gt;Download Original&lt;/a&gt;]" class="imagefield imagefield-lightbox2 imagefield-lightbox2-custom_crop_350x230 imagefield-field_photo imagecache imagecache-field_photo imagecache-custom_crop_350x230 imagecache-field_photo-custom_crop_350x230"><img src="http://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/imagecache/custom_crop_350x230/images/2011/june/keyboard.jpg" alt="Cybersecurity and the Electronic Main Street" title="Cybersecurity and the Electronic Main Street (photo credit: julian- on Flickr)" width="350" height="263" /></a> </div>
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<p><em><strong>Guest blog post by Ari Schwartz</strong>, Internet Policy Adviser at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and member of the <a href="http://www.ntia.doc.gov/internetpolicytaskforce/">Internet Policy Task Force</a> at the Department of Commerce.</em></p>
<p>As we all know, the Internet
has led to incredible commercial growth and an unprecedented means for
self-expression and innovation.&nbsp; Some industry analysts now estimate that
the Internet now carries some $10 trillion in online transactions annually.</p>
<p>However, each time a new
technology dramatically expands the boundaries of commerce, there are
dishonest, dangerous people who try to disrupt and exploit the new pathways for
their own gain. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that as the Web,
e-mail, and e-commerce have become the electronic version of Main Street,
hackers, spammers, and cybercriminals have emerged as major threats to its
welfare. An estimated 67,000 new malicious viruses, worms, spyware and other
threats are released every day.&nbsp; </p>
<p>To paraphrase Willy Sutton: It’s where the money. . . and the information is.</p>
<p>A new Commerce Department
<a href="/news/press-releases/2011/06/08/commerce-department-proposes-new-policy-framework-strengthen-cybersec" target="_blank">report issued today</a> calls for a
public-private partnership and voluntary codes of conduct to help strengthen
the cybersecurity of companies that increasingly rely on the Internet to do
business, but are not part of the critical infrastructure sector as defined by
the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/12/administration-unveils-its-cybersecurity-legislative-proposal">administration’s
recent cybersecurity legislative proposal</a>.&nbsp; Issued by the department’s
<a href="http://www.ntia.doc.gov/internetpolicytaskforce/">Internet Policy Task Force</a>, the report targets what it calls the Internet and
Information Innovation Sector or the I3S.&nbsp; These are businesses that range
from Mom and Pop manufacturers or startups that sell most of their products and
services online to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to cloud
computing firms that provide anytime, anywhere access to applications and
personal or public data. </p>
<p><!--break-->Even though many effective
methods exist to combat cybersecurity threats, not enough companies have
implemented these proven methods.&nbsp; The reasons are as varied as the
threats—lack of&nbsp; staff members with cybersecurity expertise, lack of
appreciation for the risk to business operations, or lack of access to training
and other educational resources. </p>
<p>To reverse this trend and
expand the number of businesses implementing effective cybersecurity
strategies, we need the public and private sectors to join forces and establish
voluntary rules of the road or “codes of conduct.”&nbsp;&nbsp; The place to
start to build these codes would be through promotion of existing standards and
best practices like IT protocols that prevent the hijacking of Web sites (such
as DNSSEC), or automated programs that alert business owners to unauthorized
activities on their Web servers.</p>
<p>To be successful in promotion
of these standards and best practices and to make the codes of conduct
effective, we also need better incentives like lower cyberinsurance premiums for
companies that adopt best practices and better data on the costs and benefits
of strong cybersecurity. </p>
<p>The Task Force hopes their new “green paper” will begin a
dialogue with I3S companies that helps them protect their bottom line and
ensures that the Internet can continue to be a major source of
innovation.&nbsp; At the same time, they will be helping make the Internet a little
less Wild West and little more like a Main Street we trust and enjoy. </p>http://www.commerce.gov/blog/2011/06/08/protecting-our-electronic-main-street#commentsCybersecurityCybersecurity Task ForceInternet Policy Task ForceNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyNational Telecommunications and Information AdministrationOffice of the SecretaryWed, 08 Jun 2011 16:15:00 +0000mkruger@doc.gov13106 at http://www.commerce.govSecretary Locke Highlights Efforts to Bolster CyberSecurity in the Commercial Arena at Commerce Department Symposiumhttp://www.commerce.gov/blog/2010/07/27/secretary-locke-highlights-efforts-bolster-cybersecurity-commercial-arena-commerce-d
<p><a href="/sites/default/files/images/2010/july/cyber-july-27.jpg" rel="lightbox[group]" title="Secretary Locke Highlights Efforts to Bolster CyberSecurity in the Commercial Arena at Symposium"><img class="images left" title="Secretary Locke Highlights Efforts to Bolster CyberSecurity in the Commercial Arena at Symposium" src="/sites/default/files/resize/images/2010/july/cyber-july-27-411x275.jpg" alt="Secretary Locke aon podium" width="411" height="275" /></a>Today
the Commerce Department hosted a public symposium on the protection of
consumers’ and the commercial sector’s information from increasingly
sophisticated cyber threats. Secretary Locke provided opening remarks
at the event, held at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.,
followed by remarks from U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski.
</p>
<p>The
meeting is part of a broader effort to use the Internet to foster
innovation and economic growth. The symposium was organized by the
Commerce Department’s Internet Policy Task Force and featured senior
government and private-sector leaders in a wide-ranging discussion of
issues, best practices, and strategies for responding to cyber threats.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Other
administration and Congressional officials who addressed the symposium
included U.S.&nbsp;Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt, U.S. Chief
Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, and Commerce Department General
Counsel Cameron Kerry.&nbsp; Panel discussions featured senior officials
from the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, the Commerce
Department and private-sector executives.&nbsp; <a href="/news/secretary-speeches/2010/07/27/remarks-cybersecurity-and-innovation-information-economy" title="Remarks at Cybersecurity and Innovation in the Information Economy">Remarks</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp; <a href="/news/press-releases/2010/07/27/secretary-locke-highlights-efforts-bolster-cyber-security-commercial-" title="Secretary Locke Highlights Efforts to Bolster Cyber Security in the Commercial Arena">Read more</a></p>http://www.commerce.gov/blog/2010/07/27/secretary-locke-highlights-efforts-bolster-cybersecurity-commercial-arena-commerce-d#commentsBarbara MikulskiCybersecurity Task ForceInternet Policy Task ForceNational Institute of Standards and TechnologySecretary of Commerce Gary LockeTue, 27 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000ksullivan@doc.gov12102 at http://www.commerce.gov